Cesabe soncint



c. SONCINI. ELECTRIC FURNACE.

APPLICATION FlLED APH-12| i920.

C. SONCINI.

ELECTRIC FUHNACE.

APPLICATION mfp APR. 12'. 1920.

Patented Apr; 19, 1921.

2 SHELTSfSHEET 2.

fw Ven! fan/wiwi UNITED STATES CESARE soNcINI, or Pour s'r. MARTIN, ITALY.k

ELECTRIC FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 19, 192,1.

Application led April 12, 1920. Serial No. 373,204.

To all wlw/m t may concern.'

Be it known thatI, CESARE SONCINI, subect'of the King of Italy, and resident of ont St.. Martin, Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Furnaces, of which .the following is a specication.

This invention relates to electric furnaces and particularly to resistance furnaces adapted for heating and melting materials located within crucibles.

The invention has for its object an improved furnace in which the Crucible is heated by means of a plurality of electric resistanceswhich are located adjacent to the crucible, said resistances being independent of each other and adapted to be inserted in the feeding electric circuit in different` manners in order to properly adjust the amount of heatdeveloped by them. y

. The invention also. provides means for cooling the members feeding the electric Current to said resistances, as well as means for adjusting the contact pressure exerted by said members on said resistances, which latter preferably consist of .granular material.

The annexedy drawing shows by way of example a Vconstruction of the furnace' according -to this inventiomFigure 1 being a central vertical sectional vviewy of the furnace taken on line-zaFigs. 3 and 4; Fig.

2 is a central section on line y--g/ Figs. 3 and 4; Fig. l3 is afplan view; and Fig. avis a horizontal section on line #2, Figs. 1 and 2. f n i f As shown on `the drawing, the furnace according to this invention comprises yabody 1 of refractory materiall which is inclosed within a sheet metal casing 2 and is provided with a chamber adapted-to contain the Crucible 3.

The refractory material forming said body is suitably shaped to provide vertical chambers 4 which are independent `from each other. andare' intended to containthe resistance material which may consist of granular carbon, graphite or the like.

The number and shape of the chambers Ily may be modified according to requirements, but in any case said chambers are located adjacentto and around the Crucible chamber. The internal wall of said chambers is provided by a sleeve 5 of refractory, nonf In case the Crucible is made of non-cony ducting material, the "sleeve 5 may be omitted and the resistance material may contact directly with the wall of the Crucible.

Thus the heat is evenly distributed over the Whole surface of the Crucible, and at the same time the resistances are independent from each other for the purpose referred to.

and with the feeding wires in the desired manner. At the vtop ofthe chambers 4L are located the contact members 8 which arek pressed against the resistance material inclosed -within chambers 4 by means 1 of threaded spindles 9 which are screwed into rods V.or bars 10 suitably secured or clamped to lbody. 1 or to casing 2. The spindles 9 may be operated from outside, during uthe operation-of the furnace, by means of wrenches, hand wheels or the like.

The Contact members-8 are in the form of boxes for the purpose ofproviding therein a cooling water circulation, and for that reason each box^8 isprovided with two sockets 13, and the socketsV of the several boxes are connected with each other insuccession by means of pipesk 14 made of metal orr of insulating material. One of the sockets is connected with a water supply pipe 11, land another is connected with a water 'discharge pipe 12, so that 'the water supplied bythe pipe 11 flows throughy the box 8 connectedk therewith, and thence through the .corresponding sockets 13 and pipe 14 to the next box 8, and soon until it reaches the pipe 12 and is exhausted.

By the described arrangement, it is possible to adjust at will and to the exact re quired value, the amount of heat developed in the resistances and, therefore, Athe temperature of the crucible. In fact, the resistances may be inserted in the feeding circuit in diHerent manners, say in series or in parallel, or by sets in series and in parallel, by suitably connecting the tails 7, blocks 6 and boxes S with each other and with the feeding wires.

The resistances may be fed with a current having any required intensity, and moreover the contact pressure of the boxes 8 on the resistance material may be adjusted by manipulating the screws 9, this operation allowing of modifying at will the character of contact between said parts, as well as the density of the resisting material and, therefore, its resistance.

The furnace is provided with trunnions l5 arranged in register with one of the top edges of the body 1 for rocking the furnace to effect the tapping operation; and the upper face of said body 1 is provided with a channel 16 connected with the Crucible mouth and leading to the spout 17.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electric furnace, comprising a body of refractory material having a crucible-receiving space therein, and also having a plurality of chambers independent from each other arranged around said space; a illing of resistance material in said chambers to form heating resistances; members feeding the electric current to the ends of said resistances; and means for connecting said members with each other and vwith the current-feeding means.

2. An electric furnace, comprising a body of refractory material having a Crucible-receiving space therein, and also having a plurality of chambers independent from each other arranged around said space; a filling of resistance material in said chambers to form heating resistances; contact blocks at one end of said chambers having projections passing through said body; contact members at the other end of said chambers; adjustable means for forcing the contact members against said resistances; and means for Aconnecting said projections and contact members with each other and with the currentfeeding means.

3. An electric furnace, comprising a bodj7 of refractory material having a crucible-receivinfr space therein, and also having a plurality of chambers independent from each other arranged around said space; a filling of resistance material in said chambers to form heating resistances; contact blocks at one end of said chambers having projections passing through said body; contacting members at the other end of said chambers; rods clamped `to said body;-

threaded spindles screwed into said rods and engaging said contacting members for forcing the latter against the resistances; and means for connecting said projections and contact members with each other and with the current-feeding means.

4.-. An electric furnace, comprising a body of refractory material having a Crucible-re-v other arranged around said space; a filling.

of resistance material in said chambers to form heating resistances; contact blocks at one end of said chambers having lprojections passing through said body; hollow Contact members at theopp'osite end of said cham x ber; rods clamped to said body; vthreaded spindles screwed into said rods and adapted to engage said hollow contact members to force them against said resistances; means for supplying and exhaustingwater to and from said hollow contact members to cool the same; and means for connecting said contact members and projections with each other and with the current-feeding means.

6. An electric furnace, comprising a body of refractory materialhaving a space therein and also having a plurality of recesses independent from eachother in the wall of said'space; a refractory sleeve 'in 4said space for coperation with said recesses to form a plurality of independent chambers, said sleeve being adapted to receive a crucible; a

lling ofresistance material located in said lchambers to form heating resistances; members feeding electric current to the ends of saidv resistances; and means for connecting said members with each other and with the current-feeding means.

yCESARE Soncini.

Signed at Turin, Italy, this 25 day of Mar., 1920. i 

